Recruitment Drive
by Rattraveller
Summary: A few months after zombies have come, a small group of survivors have a special team to handle some things. Opens before the arrival of some mallrats. OK sometimes after getting started you just don't feel a story. Putting this one hold indefinitely.
1. Chapter 1

Recruitment Driver

The Mayor and John walked down the street toward their latest appointment. Although they looked similar enough to be brothers, they dressed very differently. The Mayor wore dress slacks, a short sleeved collared shirt with a red tie and well shined shoes. He carried his jacket since the walk warmed him up quite a bit. John wore combat boots, black leather pants, a brown bomber jacket and black biker gloves.

Most of the Mayor's constituents were outside in their yards on this sunny afternoon and many of them greeted and waved at the Mayor. Some of them came up to talk to him about things which were important to them or just to say hello. No one talked to John so he just stroked the rabbit he was carrying.

At last they came up to the house with the people they needed to see. The Dad was atop a ladder fixing some of the roof shingles. His skin was very dark brown almost back. His bald head glistened with sweat. It was not that he was out of shape, in fact he was in great shape for a man well past his prime.

The Mayor called out a greeting as the pair stood at the front gate. Dad waved back and climbed down the ladder to let them in. They all shook hands and he invited them to sit on the front porch. On the way up Dad called for his wife to come out and bring some refreshments for them. They could hear Mom and their daughter fixing something in the kitchen.

The men took seats, the Mayor and John on the front porch swing, and Dad in a metal chair by a small table. John moved the rabbit to under his jacket. Mom and Daughter came out carrying a pitcher of water and a platter of cookies. The two of them looked enough alike to be sisters. Both light skinned with slim builds, the only difference between the two were their hairstyles. Mom's hair was very curly and seemed a little untidy. The daughter had her hair in multiple braids, each ending in three white beads and one blue bead. It was also obvious Mom was closer in age to her daughter then her husband.

Once everyone was settled in their seats with drinks and a cookie, except for John and Daughter who only took a drink, the Mayor started things off. "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. First let me welcome you to our community. Second we would like to present you with some welcome gifts."

The Mayor stood up and gave Mrs. Wilson an envelope. She opened it and found five tickets inside. When she looked up the Mayor explained, "They are vouchers, each one is good for a five pound bag of flour from the commissary."

Mrs. Wilson smiled broadly, stood and hugged the Mayor repeatedly thanking him. Mr. Wilson also thanked the Mayor. When the Mayor sat back down it was John's turn. He approached the Daughter and said, "This is for you Lashonda." John held the rabbit out to her by the scruff of its neck. She looked both excited and nervous as she took the little animal and cradled it in her arms. The Mayor pointedly looked away and took a sip of his water.

Mrs. Wilson seemed about to protest until John said, "It's not a pet. You know we raise them for food, since we don't have the room for larger animals and are pretty much cut off." This mollified her and he could see her begin to think about the implications.

The Mayor then put his glass down and fixed his tie. He then got down to business and said, "Well I now must get to the reason for our little visit today. You arrived here a week ago and I hope you have gotten settled in."

He paused to let Mr. Wilson speak, "Yes, everyone here has been very nice and helpful."

The Mayor continued, "Wonderful, since the Incident people have really learned to pull together. Now that all of you are settled, it is time for all of you to contribute to the rebuilding of society." The Mayor put on his warmest vote winning smile. "By that I mean we have found jobs for all of you and would like you to start work tomorrow."

To the Mayor's relief, even though he didn't show it, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson seemed to be happy at the news. The Mayor risked a glance at Lashonda but she was only interested in the rabbit.

Mr. Wilson said, "That is great news. I have always been a very active person and frankly I was starting to go a little stir crazy."

Mrs. Wilson chimed in, "I appreciate all my husband has done around to fix up this house you assigned us but he really does need to get out."

The Mayor sat up straight for his next part and said, "Yes we actually were able to find some records about you Mr. Wilson. You owned a construction company worth millions. One you had built up from nothing by yourself."

John took note about how smugly Mr. Wilson took the compliment. Mrs. Wilson beamed at her husband. John felt sorry for the pair since the rest of what the Mayor told them would not go down as well. John looked over at Lashonda. She had the rabbit on its back and was rubbing its belly.

"Mrs. Wilson you were a housewife. But you also had a hobby you were quite enthusiastic about?" The Mayor asked.

The pride in Mrs. Wilson's eyes shown through as she said, "I believe we should never forget the past no matter how painful it was. That is why I volunteered as a historical re-enactor. I showed the young people what the life of a slave was like."

The Mayor's smile was real this time as he said, "A very good attitude Mrs. Wilson. The big plus for us is that now that the infection has spread and cut us off from many of the necessities and luxuries we were all used to. We need to rediscover many of the skills from the past if we are to survive."

Leaning forward the Mayor took on a more serious tone and said, "Now the positions we have for you are based on your skills and on what we had available."

Mr. Wilson looked angry at this and said, "Are you planning on making my wife some kind of maid?"

The Mayor held up hands and said, "No, no in fact we would like your wife to become a teacher." The Mayor leaned forward again and began to get very excited. "The skills she has in candle making, food preservation, even how to spin thread are invaluable." Turning to Mrs. Wilson he continued, "We need you to teach others. Thanks to our mindless friends beyond the wall, we will all need to learn how to live in the past to make it to the future." John smirked to himself; he knew that was the slogan the Mayor had been elected with.

Mrs. Wilson was very pleased. It was her husband who answered, "Yes, of course she will be happy to help out in anyway she can. I am sure she will be a great asset to our community."

The Mayor spook to Mr. Wilson, "We are very hopeful she will be. Now Mr. Wilson you kept up your electrical license?"

"Yes, I might have been in the board room for the last few years but I still liked to check on the work my people were doing. Best way to make sure the quality remained high was to let the men know someone was going to check on them. But why is that important now?"

The Mayor's false smile returned, "Well we don't have any electricity to the residential units, for now. We have managed to find enough solar cells for the clinic and for security. With the wind turbines, we have enough power to electrify the fence. Has you know that is one of the ways they can be returned to death."

John smirked. He knew the Mayor hated to say zombies. He always used some other term, like that would make them less of a threat.

Mr. Wilson leaned back and everyone could tell he was thinking before he said, "I see, you need someone to figure the best ways to use the power so the system does not overload."

The Mayor just said, "No, we actually have a counsel of five electrical engineers who have done that. What we need are people who have worked with wire and can install the system."

Mrs. Wilson spoke up, "Mayor my husband is not a young man. He can not be out there, with those things, hauling wire around."

The Mayor held up his hands again. John knew him well enough to know it was one of his favorite disarming gestures. The Mayor said, "That is not what we have in mind for your husband." Turning to Mr. Wilson the Mayor said, "We need someone who knows quality. Since our lives will literally depend on the wall keeping them out. What we want you to do is to teach all these strong young backs we have how to wire and then making sure they do it right."

Before either could protest or agree the Mayor started on his favorite speech, "Like it or not we have become Communists. Everyone must contribute what they can and take only what they need. You two have valuable skills no one else has and we need you to share them." The Mayor stood up and walked to the front of the porch. The Wilson's eyes followed him except for Lashonda's. John kept an eye on her.

"We don't have a country club or golf courses like you are used to. We will expect you to contribute and to work harder then you ever have, for no greater reward then the people hauling the trash get or babysitting the children. This is the only way we can all survive now."

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson both looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked at each other. Mrs. Wilson nodded at her husband and he said, "Very well, we will do all we can to pitch in."

Mrs. Wilson tried to change the subject and asked, "Mayor, when will Lashonda start school? Do you have a program to help her catch up? The three months we took to get here and everything else that has happened she has lost a great deal, but she is very smart and can catch right up."

The Mayor looked at John. John stepped up to the Mayor's far side drawing Lashonda out of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson's eyesight. He glanced and saw her rubbing the rabbit's fur against her cheek and purring to it.

John said, "My name is John. Lashonda will not be going to school. We have decided that education would end at 8th grade. We have found your daughter a job. I will be her supervisor."

Mrs. Wilson looked very cross, "How will we train the next generation of doctors and scientists and teachers if they can barely read."

John took no offense. He had done this before, "Frankly Ma'am even at our best scenario, 25% of the people around you will be dead within two years. The government has collapsed and from what little outside news we do get there are five groups out there claiming to be the federal government and fighting each other for the privilege."

John sat back against the rails and continued, "If we are going to make it then everyone must contribute as best they can. Your daughter is 16 and has a unique ability we can use."

Mr. Wilson looked confused and asked, "What is so unique about Lashonda? Please, I love her but I also know her. She is just an average teenage girl and not anything special."

John said, "Sir on your trip here you were attacked by the zombies. Your daughter was bitten. She only survived because your son and you fought them off." John paused a moment and then said, " Your son did not make it. He was very brave to save his sister."

Both of them looked forlorn for a moment. John did not let them dwell on it and said, "As I am sure you know anyone bitten by a zombie eventually becomes one. It has been two weeks and your daughter looks to be doing very well."

Everyone looked over at Lashonda. She was kissing the rabbit about the face. John got their attention back on him by saying, "Your daughter is one of the few people who have immunity to the infection. No one knows how or why but we have found that these people are partially infected. This lets them do things non-infected can't. They can move among the zombies unmolested. They can walk right up to them and beat their skulls in and other zombies won't attack them."

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson both went into shock at this statement trying to picture their daughter out there killing half rotten corpses. John said, "We use them to keep our borders clear and to retrieve supplies and many other things uninfected people can't. But we do need to take precautions. They can spread the infection so we have to isolate them. All of our partials live together in a special compound. I am here to take your daughter there."

Mr. Wilson stood up and poked John in the chest saying, "Now see here I know things have changed but if you think you can walk in here and take the only child left to us, then…"

Mrs. Wilson interrupted her husband, "John is one of them."

At her words Mr. Wilson stopped and sat back down. John said, "Yes I am. You have probably noticed some changes in your daughter. Lack of appetite, not sleeping, not feeling pain, among others."

John pointed at Lashonda. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson turned to look and then both reeled back in horror. Lashonda sat with a part of the rabbit's leg in her mouth. She had bitten through its throat and the blood had spread all over her face and chest and lap. She was now pulling the limbs off and happily munching on them.

John and walked over to her. He pulled a packet of wet wipes from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Lashonda. She took some and began to clean herself up a little with the rabbit foot sticking out of her mouth.

John looked over his shoulder and said, "As I said before Lashonda has a unique ability we need. Her living with us is the best thing for all."


	2. Chapter 2

Meeting the Team

John helped Lashonda pack up a few things. She didn't have much to start with and John let her know they would provide just about anything she would need. When they went back on to the porch, the Mayor and her parents were still there making nervous small talk. All three stood up as the pair joined them. Then the awkwardness began.

John just said, "We will take good care of her. The Mayor can arrange visits. It was nice meeting you." John just turned and left the porch stopping when he got to the street and waited.

The Mayor just said, "Remember what we talked about." He followed right on John's heels.

The three Wilsons all stood on the porch for moment just looking at each other. Finally Lashonda said, "This is probably for the best, I mean the way things are and all and how I have been having those cravings and not sleeping and the other things." She paused for a moment, "John seems like a nice guy. I'll be OK."

With that Lashonda turned and headed for the two men. When she got halfway to the gate, her mother screamed out, "Wait!" and ran down to her. She tackled her in a bear hug and began to cry. Stroking her hair Mrs. Wilson kept repeating, "My baby, my baby, my baby, my baby, my baby, my baby, my baby, my baby,"

Lashonda hugged her back without saying anything, just crying. Everyone stayed where they were for ten minutes. Finally Lashonda broke away from her mother. Holding her at arm's length she said, "Goodbye Momma." and then walked quickly to join the Mayor and John.

Walking back the way they had come the trio made much better time than the pair had coming. With Lashonda walking between the two men no one approached them. Some people turned and went back into their houses while others watched them very closely studying Lashonda's face. She began to feel like she did when she and her friends would go to some of the stores in the mall. The retailers would act like they were about to do something illegal any moment. She wondered what these people thought she was going to do.

They walked to the far side of the walled in community. This area used to be a business district but now was mostly empty and rundown. A three story building close to the wall was different. It looked to have been recently repaired and painted. There was also a light on in one room on the second floor. Lashonda also noticed at the double chain link fence topped with razor wire and the thirty foot deer stand straddling a gate.

When they reached the gate the Mayor called up to the deer stand, "Hey guys. We're returning with the new recruit. Please let us in."

John took a more direct approach, "Fred and Barney open up! We got a mission tonight!"

Lashonda didn't see anyone move in the deer stand, but heard a click and watched the gate swing open a couple inches.

The Mayor turned to Lashonda and said, "Ms. Wilson I know this is not what you expected but John will take very good care of you. Given some time you will see what an important and necessary part of the community this team is." In a lower voice he said, "John I will see you tomorrow about that thing we talked about earlier." With that the Mayor turned and left walking much faster than Lashonda thought a man his size could accomplish.

John opened the gate and held it for Lashonda. As she moved through she asked, "Who is in the deer stand?"

"Don't know. There are always two people up there. They are the only ones who can open the gate and it's the only way in or out. We never see them so we just call them Fred and Barney."

As they walked up to the front door Lashonda kept asking, "Are we prisoners?"

"Yes. I think you noticed people are afraid of us. But Fred and Barney also keep out a lot of people who are constantly bothering us. People who want us to find relatives or friends or lovers, or to get something they left. They are supposed to go to the Mayor for that but you know people. They think they can get what they want and damn everyone else."

John opened the door to the ground floor of the building. There was just enough daylight left for Lashonda to make out the racks and shelves were still in place from whatever this used to be. She couldn't make out everything but thought it looked like a combination of a sports equipment room, armory, police evidence room, library and grocery store. John walked through the room to another door. He opened it and started up a staircase.

When they reached the top of the stairs John walked over to the middle of the room. Lashonda stopped and looked over her new home. The second floor was mostly open space. Tables and chairs were stacked up against one wall. Kitchen stuff was against the far wall. By the third wall an entertainment center was set up. Two men sat around a table watching the television while a third man sat on a stationary bike pedaling away.

It dawned on Lashonda that the bike was powering the TV and probably the lights. She had only seen the bicycle thing in old movies but somehow these guys had made it work. Looking at the television she saw they were watching some National Lampoon T&A flick. She thought, "Typical bunch of guys, they better not expect me to be cleaning up after them. I'll burn their little movies and behinds before that happens."

She didn't need to worry about that. John walked up and whacked both of the men at the table in the back of the head, they both dropped what they had been eating and rubbed their skulls. He said, "I told you morons I was bringing in a newbie and who it would be. Is this the first impression you wanted to make?"

The guy on the bike called over, "I tried to tell them but Z-man and Theodore wanted to catch the end of this before we had to lock it up."

In a flash Lashonda realized how alone she was. Her family was as good as dead. The rest of the people here thought she was some kind of monster. Now these guys were going to resent her for breaking up their little frat house. She told herself she had to start fitting in. Even if it meant watching their stupid movies.

Lashonda cleared her throat and said, "Hey guys, I love those kinda movies. Don't stop it because of me." She then walked up to the table, pulled out a chair and grabbed one of the bowls and started eating. She noticed the raw meat was pretty good.

John and the others just looked dumbfounded. It was Z-man who broke their silence and said, "Well keep pedaling Roger you got another twenty minutes on that thing."

Roger called back, "Nice try. You take over in five minutes so get ready.

Theodore still staring at Lashonda, snapped his fingers and said, "Wait you haven't seen the banner yet. Can't get the party going till you scope the artwork."

John and Lashonda turned to the only wall they hadn't seen yet. Hanging over the stairwell entrance wall was a sheet which had been heavily spray painted. Mixed in with the graffiti and wild symbols were the words, "Welcome to the Dumbos!"

Lashonda wasn't sure what to make of it. She just stammered out, "Ahh the Dumbos?"

John answered, "Roger will explain it as he helps you get ready for your first mission. The rest of you break this up, we have a walk around starting in one hour. I want everything to go easy tonight so double check everything." Looking over at Z-man and Theodore he added, "Don't say it. I am sure there is something you can be doing."

The two men at the table both seemed to bite their tongues and then stood up and headed to the stairs. Roger walked over to Lashonda and stuck his hand out. She thought he wanted to shake hands and was surprised when he took her hand and pulled her out of the chair. It was then she realized she hadn't wiped the blood off her fingers. Roger didn't seem to mind.

When she was up Roger said, "OK first we'll take your bag upstairs and show you your room. Then we'll get you kitted up for tonight." At her blank look, Roger smiled and said, "Don't worry these walk-arounds never amount to much. Best way to get to know us, gives us alot of time to talk. Unless you really wanted to finish the movie?"

Lashonda still wanted to play it as one of the guys and said, "We can catch it later. Where's my room?"

Roger took her upstairs. The third floor was just one hallway with eight doors. Her room was the third door on the left. She didn't get to see much of it and what she saw wasn't great. The small room held only a single twin bed, a desk and chair and wardrobe. Roger took her bag and tossed it on the bed than lead her back down the stairs to the first floor.

"This is our main store room. Since we get to go out and explore we get first crack at everything." Roger opened with as he took her to the clothes racks. "Pick out a jacket and gloves. Oh and if you like what your wearing, change things can get very gross out there."

Looking over her choices, she found all of the clothes were all men's and almost all too big for her. Normally she loved to shop and try on clothes. Given time she could probably put something at least decent from this collection but John had said he wanted to leave soon and she didn't want to be a problem.

Finding a leather bomber jacket which had the advantages of fitting and looking good, she took a moment to laugh at herself. This was not how her life was supposed to go. She had never planned on getting a job. She hadn't wanted to be like her mother and just marry a rich guy. She would have gone to college and studied Art and then travelled around to Paris, Rome, Madagascar, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong just painting and meeting people. Her Dad's money would have taken care of her. Now here she was getting ready to go look for zombies with a bunch of guys she just met and didn't have a thing to wear.

As she looked over the gloves she decided to try and get Roger talking and asked, "Roger, John said, you would tell me about the Dumbos."

Roger had been looking over a collection of baseball bats. He turned to her and laughed softly, "That would be Theodore and Z-man. Theo is a big manga fan. They have these half vampires called Dhampires. He thought since we're like half zombies we should be Dhombies. Typical Z-man, he changed it to Dumbos."

She had found a pair of white leather work gloves that fit. Roger was still looking at her, "Guess I'm ready, what's next?"

Roger seemed to be paying her some attention now and said, "Weapons. Have you ever used any before? Like are you black belt or did you ever run with a gang?"

Lashonda was just about to tear into Roger for the gang comment but stopped herself. She realized he just wanted to know what she could do. To be real the zombies had taken out people fast. The gangs had actually done better being armed, organized and experienced in fighting.

Lashonda kept her voice light, "Does fighting over which is the best Beyonce song count?"

Roger actually smiled and said, "Don't worry John will start training you tomorrow." He pulled something out of his jacket pocket. "For tonight stay with John or me and if anyone gets to close use this." Roger handed her a Taser.

Lashonda took it and felt the weight of it in her hand then said, "Does it work on zombies?"

"Use it on their heads and it will at least stun them, usually kills them. But you will probably need it for some of the others." He turned away and walked up to another rack without elaborating. Over his shoulder he said, "Now for the rest of your Batman Utility Belt."

Lashonda hurried over Roger and he handed her a flashlight, a hunting knife and a Zippo lighter all with belt cases. She took off her belt and started to arrange everything on it. Roger waited patiently for her to finish and then said, "OK time to go meet J. Jonah Jamison."


End file.
